Jadon Sancho has shut down the suggestion his slow start to the new season was because he failed to move to Manchester United in the summer transfer window.
United identified the England international as their priority target in the summer but were unable to strike a deal with Borussia Dortmund for his signature.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side were prepared to invest a British record fee in order to land Sancho but could not find a suitable compromise with the Bundesliga club over the possible structure of a deal.
Dortmund stuck with their €120million asking price for the England international and were unwilling to accept a lower up-front fee with performance related add-ons. United felt the total transfer package Dortmund were demanding was not realistic given it would've meant shattering their own club-record fee as well as paying significant player and agent fees.
After missing out on a high-profile move Sancho hasn't seemed quite himself so far this season and is yet to score in any of his six Bundesliga appearances, although he does have three assists to his name.
The 20-year-old looked somewhat back to his best as he netted for England in their 3-0 friendly win over Republic of Ireland on Thursday night and after the game he was asked if transfer speculation had distracted him.
"Nah, I don’t think so,” he told ITV Sport.
“I feel like every player has a little dip in their career, and I feel I’m going through that at the moment. It is just how I’m bouncing back and I am just happy to have managers who have faith in and keep sight of me.”
MEN Sport understand United will keep Sancho on their shortlist ahead of next year but a deal will remain difficult to do given the continued loss of revenue that they will experience in the coming months.
